A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, has granted bail to former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, in the sum of N100 million over allegations linked to the alleged bugging of the telephone line of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, who presided over the matter, approved the bail application but imposed strict conditions that must be met before the former governor can regain full freedom, pending trial.
Key Highlights:
- Nasir El-Rufai was granted N100 million bail by a Federal High Court in Abuja.
- The case involves allegations of illegally accessing NSA Nuhu Ribadu’s phone conversations.
- The court imposed strict bail conditions, including a qualified surety and surrender of international passports.
- El-Rufai must report monthly to the Department of State Services while the trial continues.
- The DSS filed a five-count charge linked to comments El-Rufai allegedly made during a television interview.
The court ruled that the surety must reside in either Maitama or Asokoro in Abuja and provide the original Certificate of Occupancy of a landed property to the court registry.
Also, the surety must also be a federal civil servant not below Grade Level 17 and present evidence of salary payments for at least three months, authenticated by a bank manager within the court’s jurisdiction.
In addition, the surety is expected to submit an affidavit of means, execute a bail bond and provide a recent passport photograph.
Justice Abdulmalik also ordered El-Rufai to surrender all valid international passports to the court and directed the submission of a verification letter from the surety’s department alongside a six-month tax clearance certificate.
Read also:
- DSS reportedly arrests Miyetti Allah leader Bello Bodejo after senatorial declaration in Taraba
- FG condemns Plateau killings, deploys troops, assures of arrest of perpetrators
- Plateau killings orchestrated act of genocide – Ohanaez
As part of the conditions attached to the bail, the former governor must report to the headquarters of the Department of State Services (DSS) every last Friday of the month by 10 a.m. to sign an attendance register until the case is concluded.
The judge warned that any violation of the conditions would lead to an automatic revocation of the bail.
The court further ordered El-Rufai to present a letter of attestation from the chairman of the Kaduna State Traditional Council and directed that the trial be accelerated.
El-Rufai, a former minister of the Federal Capital Territory, is facing a five-count charge filed by the DSS over alleged unlawful access to the telephone conversation of Ribadu.
The charges followed comments reportedly made by the former governor during an interview on Arise Television, where he alleged that someone had wiretapped Ribadu’s phone and listened to conversations relating to plans for his arrest.
